Hi there, I'm James

Course/Studio: Flux, MArch

Skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Revit, Sketch Up, AutoCAD, Enscape

I graduated from Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in sustainability within the built environment. During my year out at Scott Brownrigg in Guildford, I focused on mixed-use office and laboratory new builds, I refined my skills in technical design, project management, and the integration of sustainable principles into architectural projects. Outside of architecture, you'll find me scaling cliffs, hiking remote trails, and attempting to snowboard (though I'll admit, I'm not the best!)

I'm excited to work on this project with Emporium M33 and collaborate with the students who will be joining us. Let's create something amazing together!

We are excited to kick off our collaboration with Emporium M33! Meet our team alongside Scott Lyon (Owner), Claire Hines and Carolyn Jackson (small business owners).

The Site:
Our project centres around Emporium M33, a three-story Victorian building within the town of Sale. This unique space houses a mix of approximately 50 local, independent businesses. From artisan crafters to a café and everything in between, Emporium M33 serves as a shared space for creativity and community in Sale.

The Brief:
Emporium M33, though brimming with character and offerings, often goes unnoticed by the foot traffic of Sale's town centre. Our mission is to change that. As a collective of makers, crafters, and retailers within Emporium M33, we're embarking on a campaign to raise awareness both locally and online. Our aim? To showcase the value, creativity, and uniqueness of Emporium M33, transforming it into a thriving hub that supports local businesses and charities alike.

About the Collaborators:
Joining forces with us are Scott Lyon, the passionate owner of Emporium M33, Claire Hines and Carolyn Jackson, dedicated small business owners within the space. Together with Scott, Claire, and Carolyn, we're excited to reimagine Emporium M33 and strengthen its ties to the Sale community.

Day 3 - Today, we kicked off by strategising for our upcoming event at Emporium M33. Our goal is to impress stakeholders with interactive activities and freebies like tote bags and vouchers while showcasing our major outputs: website, signage, and ads. Working in our specialised teams, we fine-tuned our contributions throughout the day. We wrapped up with a productive virtual meeting with Claire Hines and Scott Lyons, discussing poster designs and raffle ideas for the community event on Friday.

Day 6 - Today, we spent the morning working in our three groups: advertisement, website, and signage, preparing for our afternoon presentation with Emporium M33. After lunch, we hopped on the tram to 'Jackson House' in Sale. Here, we showcased our group work to Scott, the business owner, along with Claire and Carolyn, both business owners, who provided valuable feedback on tote bag design, signage, and required website amendments.

Day 8 - Today we finalised preparations for tomorrow's public showcase. Our wayfinding and signage group painted our colour-coordinated floor map for Emporium M33, highlighting different traders zones and adding blackboard vinyl sections for traders to update their locations. We also created hanging ladder blackboard signage for key areas to guide customers around the building.
We further developed the website, updating trader profiles as more businesses showed intertest in being included, enhanced the FAQ section, and added information about the charities at Emporium M33 and ways to get involved.
We’re excited to present our efforts and celebrate with the Sale town community and Emporium M33 tomorrow!

After two weeks of hard work, creativity, and collaboration, we are thrilled to present our efforts at today's public showcase at Emporium M33. This event marks the conclusion of our project, and we can't wait to share our outcomes with the Sale community and the business owners of Emporium M33.
Earlier today, the Tote Bag Campaign event at Emporium M33 brought the Sale community together with a range of exciting activities. The Spin a Wheel game was a highlight, offering participants the chance to win prizes such as tote bags, cupcakes, sweets as well as raffle prizes put together by a few kind businesses within Emporium M33. Attendees engaged with live demonstrations of the newly developed website, wayfinding, and signage projects. Custom-designed tote bags, vouchers, and other goodies, created in collaboration with Emporium M33 traders, were distributed to visitors.
The event also featured a community prize draw, with fantastic prizes donated by the independent traders of Emporium M33. The new Emporium M33 website was unveiled, showcasing detailed profiles of all 50 independent traders. New colour-coordinated floor maps and directory stands were introduced, making it easier for visitors to navigate the three-story building. The extensive advertising campaign, including posters and flyers, aimed at raising awareness of Emporium M33, was on full display.

What an incredible and fast two weeks this has been! We've thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to the bachelor’s students and learning alongside them throughout this process. Collaborating with Scott Lyons, the owner of Emporium M33, and the fantastic business owners Claire Hines and Carolyn Jackson, has been a highlight of our project.
We've made a meaningful impact on the local community, as evidenced by the interactions and feedback during our final showcase event. It was a rewarding experience to step outside our comfort zone and tackle the challenges of wayfinding, advertisement, and website creation—tasks beyond traditional architectural work. We're thrilled with the results and proud of what we've achieved.
A massive thank you to everyone involved in this project. Your support and collaboration were invaluable. We couldn't have done it without you!